Glass walls open. The yard is now a room.

A young couple, both physicians, just bought a 1962 Encino contemporary. The original architect had drawn the back elevation as floor‑to‑ceiling glass. The second owner, in 1991, had drywalled most of it. The new owners wanted the original design back, plus a re‑envelope to current Title 24, plus an open kitchen, plus a primary suite that does not exist in the current floor plan.

Removing 1991 framing to expose the original 1962 glass elevation meant re‑engineering the lateral system. The 1962 original had no insulation in any wall. Title 24 envelope upgrade on a glass‑heavy elevation is not free. They are physicians with on‑call schedules, no morning demolition allowed, sleep noise was a deal‑breaker for the partner on call. And they wanted to be in by their first anniversary in November 2026.

We engaged Mathieu Engineering on the lateral diaphragm, a new steel moment frame at the back wall. New low‑E argon‑filled glass system from Fleetwood Series 3000, exact fit to the original 1962 head/sill detail. Walls: 2x6 stud bays with dense‑pack cellulose at R‑23. Demolition is scheduled 11am to 6pm only, weekdays, per the call schedule. Move‑in tracks to Halloween 2026, three weeks ahead of contract.